Drink Driving

Drinkware strongly supports official guidance from the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána that any amount of alcohol will impair your driving and increases the risk of a collision. This is not an opinion it’s a scientific fact. Yet a minority of people in Ireland continue to drink and drive, making our roads less safe for all road users. Get the facts about drink driving, the law and penalties.

Can I drive the morning after drinking?

The time of your last drink at night will affect when it is safe for you to drive the following day, so there could still be alcohol in your system the morning after drinking. Almost half of all arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant (DUI) take place between midnight and 6am, while 1 in 10 DUI arrests are made between 8am and 2pm, with a peak on Sundays.

It takes your body one hour to process one standard drink and there’s no quick fix. Common examples of one standard drink include a half pint of beer / glass of wine (100ml) / pub measure of spirits (35.5ml).

There is nothing you can do to remove alcohol from your body any quicker, only time. Common myths are that drinking coffee or having a shower will sober you up but these are simply not true.

Drink driving law

As of Friday 26 October 2018, ordinary fully licenced drivers detected by An Garda Síochána with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of between 50mg and 80mg, will receive an automatic disqualification from driving of three months and a €200 fine.

The penalties for learner, novice and professional drivers have not changed. Penalties for drivers in these categories remain the same at three months disqualification from driving and a fine of €200.

Drink driving penalties

As of 26 October 2018, the new drink-driving provisions of the Road Traffic (Amendement) Act 2018 (highlighted in purple) are now in effect.

Driver Category

Blood Alcohol Concentration

Previous Penalty

Current Penalty

Learner, Novice, Professional

20+ to 80mg

€200 fine.
3 month driving ban

€200 fine.
3 month driving ban

Ordinary driver

50+ to 80mg

€200 fine.
3 penalty points

€200 fine.
3 month driving ban

Ordinary driver

80+ to 100mg

€400 fine.
6 month driving ban

€400 fine.
6 month driving ban

What are the legal limits?

The legal limits for professional, learner and novice drivers are:

20 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood

27 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or

9 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limits for fully licenced drivers in Category B are:

50 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood

67 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or

22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Drink driving in Ireland

Drink driving arrests in Ireland have been steadily increasing for the past three years (since 2015). Last year, 8920 drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant (DUI), compared to 8067 arrests in 2016 (representing an 11% increase). Each of these statistics is more than just a number, each represents a life needlessly lost or a life changed forever.

A landmark report published by the Road Safety Authority in 2016, found that alcohol was a contributory factor in 38% of all fatal collisions. Of the 947 people killed in the 867 collisions analysed, alcohol was a contributory factor in:

38% of all driver deaths

30% of all motorcyclist deaths

47% of all pedestrian deaths

42% of all passenger deaths

86% of drivers and 51% of passengers not wearing seatbelt who had consumed alcohol were killed.

Drinkaware research* shows a high level of awareness of the dangers of drink driving among adults but still, many drivers admitted to getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol despite knowing the risks. The survey found that:

88% of adults agree that any amount of alcohol impairs driving ability

1 in 10 had driven after consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months

70% of adults who admitted to drink-driving agree that any amount of alcohol impairs the ability to drive.

*A national survey was conducted via B&A’s face-to-face Barometer survey with a nationally-representative sample of 1,000 adults in June 2017.

According to the Road Safety Authority, attitudes towards drink driving in Ireland have hardened in recent years:

The number of people who say that there is NO acceptable amount of alcohol that a driver can consume and be safe to drive has increased from 61% (2015) to 73% (2017).

The number who say two or more drinks are acceptable has reduced from 11% (2015) to 7% (2017).